Heating process and apparatus.



G. T. VOORHEES.

HEATING PROCESS AND APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 17, 1912.

1,066,348. Patented July 1, 1913.

D m F 3 FIQJ 5 C II INV NTOR .purposes.

GARDNER TUFTS VOOBHEES, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

HEATING PROCESS AND APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1 1913.

Application filed May 17, 1912. Serial No. 698,014.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GARDNER TUFTS Voournass, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Boston, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heating Processes and Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heating apparatus as combined with steam engines and steam compressors and particularly as combined with absorption refrigerating machine generators. Its object is to utilize the latent heat of low pressure steam,- usually wasted as exhaust, from steam engines, by raising the heat head of exhaust steam, by compression, so it may be of value in any desired heating apparatus, such as for example in the generator of an absorption system.

The nature of my invention enables the more economical use of steam and requires less primary heating apparatus. Because of the nature of my invention, large quantities of waste steam that are now thrown away can be utilized for valuable heat ing purposes.

It is well known that even the most efiicient of steam engines utilize but a. very small part of the total heatof the steam requiredto operate them. And it is known that in order to operate 1a steam engine economically it must exhaust its steam at a low pressure, and that such lot; exhaust pressures and the consequent low exhaust temperatures, are too-low for many heating In absorption refrigerating ap' paratus the temperature of condensin water available, and the temperature desire in the refrigerator, fix the strength. of the weak and strong ammonia liquors used and therefore fix the steam pressure and temperature required to operate the generator. So except for rather high refrigerator temperatures and rather low condensing water temperatures a generator will require steam of -too high a pressure to be economical as the exhaust from a steam engine.

And further it is ditlicult to install a steam engine of re- I quired power, speed and pro ortions to fitthe case of f-urmshingthe rig t quantity of exhaust steam at the right pressure for a given absorption machine of a fixed capacity and 1t 15 still more difficult to adapt an existing engine .to Such conditions.

-By the use of my invention any steam engineof any desired power, speed and proportions may exhaust at any desired low exaaust pressure and -this.low pressure exhaust steam may then be used in all or in part for an absor tion system for any desired conditions tiereof, as to temperature of condensing water or temperature of refr1gerator, and :in any type of absorption system, or in fact in any apparatus requirmg the use of the latent heat of steam-at pressures higher than that of the exhaust steam available.

In the drawings which are diagrammatic, Figure 1 is a general diagram of the operation of my invention in which AB is any desired source of power, B any desired source of low pressure steam, D any desired type of steam compressor and E any desired type of a user of the latent heat of steam. Figs. 2, and 3 are modifications of steam compressor D of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing several forms of operation in which A is a boiler, B an engine, C a user of power, D a steam compressor, E a user of exhaust steam, F, F,, water pumps, and E a steam condenser. Fig. 5 is a modification of a combined engine and compressor, BD.

In Fig. 1, AB may be any desired source of power, B any desired source of low pressure steam, D any desired type of steam compressor, E any desired user of latent heat of steam. AB may transmit power to actuate D through any desired means as 0. s

Low pressure steam may be conducted to I) from B through any desired conduit as 5, 9' and compressed steam from D may be conducted through any desired conduit as 11, 14 to latent heat user E. E may be of any desired construction as for example, having a coil 14, 1'5 cooled by any desired means. as by a liquid entering E through pipe 19 and leaving it through pipe 20, t e condensed steam from coil 14, 15 may be drawn off for any desired pur ose throu h pipe 15, 16, 34 past, or by any evice as In operation power from AB is transmitted through a to 1D to cause D to compress low pressure steam from B drawn into it through pipe 5, 9, and the com ressed steam is discharged from D throug pipe 11-, 14 and is condensed in coil 14, 15 ofE.

Steam compressor D may be of any desiredtype, as for example any type of mechanical compressor. In Fig. 2 one such compressor is shown as a double acting reciprocating compressor, whose piston m is reciprocated in cylinder in by rod .0 and so draws in low pressure steam through pipe 5, 9 past suction valves 12., hand compresses it and discharges it past discharge valves is, k and through pipell, 14.

Another type of compressor is shown in Fig. 3, which is a jet type of compressor where high pressure steam enters D throng conduit 0 and low pressure steam enters through conduit 5, 9. The high pressure steam compresses and discharges the low pressure stealn'through pipe 11, 14.

Another form of compressor D is shown in Fig. 5, which is here shown as a piston m having piston rod 0 reciprocating in cylinder 71, here BD acts as a combined engine and compressor. High pressure steam enters cylinder n through pipe 7,8 past valve 0, which is opened and shut by link mechanism 1, 2 and the steam is expanded down to any desired pressure in cylinder 11., then on the exhaust stroke of piston m, exhaust valve 7), actuated by link mechanism 3, 4, either keeps exhaust outlet 9, 10 closed durin the exhaust stroke or it closes exhaust out et 9, 10 before the end of the exhaust stroke and the steam in cylinder is compressed to any desired pressure, lower than the inlet pressure, by piston m, and is discharged through pipe 11, 14 past valve'r operated by link mechanism 5, 6.

The preferred form of operation of my invention is shown in Fig. 4. Heat H is supplied to boiler A to vaporize water ainto steam 6. Steam b flows through pipe 1, 2, 3, 4 to double acting reciprocating steam engine B and expands therein and so reci rocates rods 0, d through its piston not shown) as will be clear to those skilled in the art. The expanded steam exhausts from engine B through pipe 5, 6, 7, 30, 31 into coil 14, 15 of generator E. Piston rod dreciprocates a piston (not shown) in steam compressor D, like that of Fig. 2, and so draws in low pressure steam from any desired source through pipe 50, '52, 10, 9 and compresses it and discharges it through pi e 11, 12, 13, 14 into coil 14, 15 of generator Generator E has strong liquor inlet 19 and weak liquor outlet 20 and ammonia vapor outlet 21. The compressed and exhaust, steam are condensed in coil 14 15 in reducing the strongliquor e to weak liquor f by formlng the mixed ammonla and watervapor g. The condensed steam from coil 14, 15 flows by conduit 15, 32, 16 to pump F,

which'may take in low pressure gas through pipe 22, 23, 24 and compress it and discharge it through pipe 25, 26, 27.

Another way to Operate my invention is shown in Fig. 4, where C is used or not as is desired and whereboiler A, generator E and pump F operate as before. But here by shutting valve 54, the exhaust steam from engine B flows through pipe 7 38 where all or part of it can exhaust to the air through pipe 35, 37 with.valve 36 open or throttled and where all or part of it may be condensed with valve 36 closed or throttled, in coil 38, 39 of condenser E, having water inlet 47 and wateroutlet 48. The condensed steam flows from coil 38, 39 b*' pipe 39, 40, 43 to pump F and is pumped by it to boiler A through pipe 44, 45. Engine B operating compressor D as above described to draw in low pressure steam and compress and. discharge it into coil 14, 15.

Another way to. operate my invention is shown in Fig. 4, where C is used or not as is desired and where valves 53, 54 are open and valve 55 is shut and valve 51 shut or throttled as is desired, so that exhaust steam from engine B may be taken into compressor D through pipe 30, 8, 9, l0 and be compressed and discharged into coil 14, 15 for use as above described, and if desired some of the steam to compressor D may enter through pipe 50, 52. ,And to one skilled in the art it is evident without further *description, how these various forms of operation may be combined into combinations of these forms of operation if desired without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It is also shown in Fig. 4 that boiler.A may be fed by a separate-water connection 46, and condensed steam from -E or E may be all or partly drawn ofi through connections 40, 42 and 32, 34 through valves 41 and 33 for any desired use such as for water to be made into ice, etc. Compressor D has rod cl, which may be used to reciprocate compressor Ds piston, from any desired source of power, to assist or to replace the power of engine B. v

' If generator E were operated in the ordinary way with direct steam from boiler A it would be supplied through pipe 1, 28, 29,

49, 14 and'would then require all heat to be furnished direct from the boiler A. While if engine B were operated in the ordinary way,to operate C and if D were not used,

then the exhaust from engine B can exhaust through pipe 5, 6, 7, 30, 31, 14 into generator coil 14, 15, which is generally a distinct saving in net steam used by engine and gener ator, over that of operation of engine and generator with direct steam from the boiler for each, as here the latent heat of the exhaust steam from engine B is used in generator E.

I have made a theoretical study of the per cent. of steam saved by the use of my invention in its several forms, and have plotted curves for the horsepower given by one pound of steam expanded in an engine (all pressures are given inpounds per square inch absolute) from 165 pounds and from 115 pounds to five pounds and to 15 pounds. And have also plotted curves for the expansion'of steam from said high pressures to all other pressures up to 100 pounds. I also plotted curves for the H. P. required to compress steam from 5 pounds and from 15 pounds to any pressure up to 100 pounds. And also plotted curves for the pounds of steam required under above conditions to compress one pound of steam from 5 pounds and 15 pounds to any pressure up to 100 ounds. I then plotted curves for the latent eat of steam. for an pressure'and for the total heat of steam i'om the boiler pressures and with feed water at the temperature due the exhaust pressures. From a combination of these curves I plotted other curves showing the per cent. of steam saved, for all expansions as above noted, and for all compressions as above noted. The result showed that in some cases it is more economical to use an engine, to operate the steam compressor, that wasted all or part of its exhaust and in other cases it was more economical to use an engine that exhausts at the pressure required, into the generator. As I did not take into consideration the cylinder condensation or friction of the englue and compressor or the superheat-ing of the compressed steam the results I obtained are somewhat more than should be obtained in ordinary practice. But. these results can be readily amended to fit any special case by one skilled in the art. Owing to the smaller quantities of cylinder condensation, when the en 'ne exhausts at the generator pressure, an the reevaporation of some of this condensation during compression in the steam compressor, I am inclined to think that the greatest practical savings will result when the engine actuates the compressor which compresses the low pressure steam available up to the pressure required in the generator and expands and exhausts its steam into the generator also.

The following are some of the above mentioned savings of steam for the conditions noted therewith:

165 pound steam to engine expanded to pressures noted'and 5 pound steam compressed to same pressures noted and all steam used in generator at same pressures 165 steam to engine expanded and exhausted to 5 pounds pressure, and 15 pound steam compressed to pressures noted and used in generator, the pound steam being wasted.

Pressures 20}: l0# 60# 80# )2 steam saved 90% 60% 51% 38% It is evident that the principles of this invention can be combined with the present process of obtaining power, when needed, and exhausting the steam from the engine at any desired pressure or at the pressure required into the generator, in which case the engine or engines would be of sufficient size, 1st to furnish the. desired power and 2nd to furnish power to compress the low pressure steam available to the pressure in the generator, and the engine or engines would either Waste their steam or exhaust it at the pressure required and into the generator, whichever proved to be the most economical. With entirely new installatioiis, engines of proper proportions for any desired case can be designed to fit the required conditions. But when it is desired to use exhaust steam from existing engines, for a generator, it is evident that it will rarely be possible, except through theuse of 1 this invention, to utilize the exhaust steam from such engines for to do so without this invention would usually mean such radical changes in the speed, power and economy of the existing engines as to preclude the possibility of use for its needs before and after being so adapted. And in any case, old or new, when low pressure waste steam is available, the use of this invention will make very great savings in the steam and therefore fuel required for a given quantity ofrefrigeratio-n or ice making.

In the claims I wish to claim any part, not only as named, but as its equivalent. And because of the intimate nature of process and apparatus I wish to claim both process and apparatus in the one application.

Claims.

1. The process of heating a substance by liquefying waste vapor of another substance of inferior temperature by compressing the waste vapor so that its liquefying temperature is made superior to the temperature of the substance tobe heated and conducting heat from the liquefying vapor to the sub stance to be heated.

2. The process of vaporizing liquid by liquefying waste vapor of inferior temperature and pressure by compressing the waste vapor to a pressure still inferior to that of the vaporizing liquid so that its liquefying temperature is made superior to the temperature of the vaporizing liquid and conducting heat from the liquefying vapor to the vaporizing liquid.

3. The process of partially vaporizing and so reducing the percentage of ammonia in aqua ammonia by compressing waste steam of an inferior temperature to that of the vaporizing aqua so that its liquefying temperature is made superior to that of the vaporizing aqua and conducting heat from the liquefying steam to the vaporizing aqua.

4. The process of partially vaporizing and so reducing the percentage of ammonia in aqua ammonia by compressing waste steam of a temperature inferior to that of the vaporizing aqua by the use of high pressure steam so that said waste steams liquefying temperature is made superior to that of the vaporizing aqua and also using waste steam resulting from compressing the" first mentioned waste steam and conducting heat from the liquefying waste steam to the vaporizing aqua.

5. The combination of a steam compressor and a steam condensing surface, a conduit to conduct low pressure steam to thecompressor, means to cause the compressor to compress the low pressure steam, a conduit to conduct compressed steam from the compressor to the condensing surface, means to cause a substance of a lower boiling point at same ressure than steam to come in contact wit said condensing surface to be heated thereby by the condensation of the compressed steam therein.

6. The combination of a steam compressor, a steam condensing surface and a steam engine, a conduit to conduct low pressure steam to the compressor, the engine to cause the compressor to compress the low pressure steam, a conduit to conduct com ressed steam from the compressor to the con ensing surface, means to cause a substance of a lower boiling point at same pressure than steam to come in contact with said condensingsurface to be heated thereby by the condensation of the compressed steam therein.

7. The combination of a steam compressor, a steam condensing surface and a steam engine, a conduit to conduct low pressure steam to the compressor, a conduit to conductexhaust steam from the engine to the compressor, the engine to cause the compressor to compress the low pressurev steam and the exhauststeam from the engine, a conduit to conduct compressed steam from the compressor to the condensing surface, means to cause a substance of a lower boiling point at same pressure than steam to come in contact with said condensin surface to be heated thereby by the con ensation of the compressed steam therein.

8. The combination of a steam compres sor, a steam condensing surface and a steam engine, a conduit to conduct low pressure steam to the compressor, the en ine to cause the compressor to compress the Tow pressure steam, a conduit to conduct the compressed steam from the compressor to the condensing surface, a conduit to conduct exhaust steam from the engine to the condensing surface, means to cause a substance of a lower boiling oint at same pressure than steam to come in contact with said condensing surface to be heated thereby b the condensation of the compressed an exhaust steam therein,

9. The combination of a steam compressor and a generator, a. conduit to conduct low pressure steam to the compressor, means" to cause the compressor to compress the-low pressure steam, a conduit to conducttcompressed steam from the compressor to the generator, a steam condensing surface in the generator and a strong liquor inlet to and a weak liquor outlet from the generator, all so combined that the compressedsteam will be condensed in the condensing surface by heating the strong liquor to cause'it to become weak li uor.

10. The combination of a steam compressor, a generator and a steam engine, a conduit to conduct low pressure steam to the compressor, the engine to cause the compressor to compress the low pressure steam, a conduit to conduct compressed steam from the compressor to the generator, a steam condensing surface in the generator and a strong liquor inlet to and a weak liquor outlet from the generator, all so combined that the compressed steam will be-condensed in the condensing surface by heating the strong liquor to cause it to become weak liquor.

11. The combination of a steam compressor a generator and a. steam engine, a conduit to conduct low pressure steam to the compressor, a conduit to conduct exhaust steam from the engine to the compressor, the 110 engine to cause the compressor to compress the low pressure steam and the exhaust steam from the engine, a conduit to conduct compressed steam from the compressor to the generator, a steam condensing surface in 15 the generator and a strong liquor inlet to and a weak liquor outlet from the generator,

all so combined that the compressed steam will be condensed in the condensing surface by heating the strong liquor to cause it to become weak li uor.

12. The combination of a steam compressor, a generator and a steam engine, a conduit to conduct low pressure steam to the compressor, the engine to cause the 'compressor to compress the low pressure steam,

a conduit to conduct the compressed steam to the generator, a conduit to conduct exhaust steam from the engine to the generator, a steamcondensing surface in the gen- 1 0 erato'r and a stron liquor inlet to and a specification in the presence of two subscribweak liquor outlet rom the generator all so combined that the compressed steam and exhaust steam will be condensed in the con- 5 densing surface by heating the strong liquor to cause it to become weak liquor.

In testimony whereof I have signed this ing witnesses. H

Q-QQARDN R TUFTS voonmins, I Witnesses: v e

1 N. (J. Voonmms, R. Wnsmoo rr.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. grnnted July 1, 1913,

improvement in .Heating'Processes a.ndApperatus, errorsappear in the printed specificationrequiring correction as follows: Page 2 the reference-letter a read 0,; same page, line 87 for the reference letter ,E read E page i, line .24, for the word steem read steams; the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the sense mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiich v 3 Signed and sealed this 2nd day of Septemhe A. Di, 1913. [BELL-1' THOMAS EWING,

of Patents upon the application of Gardner Tufts Voorhee's, of Boston, Massachusetts, for an i erato'r and a stron liquor inlet to and a specification in the presence of two subscribweak liquor outlet rom the generator all so combined that the compressed steam and exhaust steam will be condensed in the con- 5 densing surface by heating the strong liquor to cause it to become weak liquor.

In testimony whereof I have signed this ing witnesses. H

Q-QQARDN R TUFTS voonmins, I Witnesses: v e

1 N. (J. Voonmms, R. Wnsmoo rr.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. grnnted July 1, 1913,

improvement in .Heating'Processes a.ndApperatus, errorsappear in the printed specificationrequiring correction as follows: Page 2 the reference-letter a read 0,; same page, line 87 for the reference letter ,E read E page i, line .24, for the word steem read steams; the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the sense mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiich v 3 Signed and sealed this 2nd day of Septemhe A. Di, 1913. [BELL-1' THOMAS EWING,

of Patents upon the application of Gardner Tufts Voorhee's, of Boston, Massachusetts, for an i 

